Gord Downie performs his solo project “Secret Path” at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax on November 29, 2016. Gord Downie is the recipient of this year’s Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award. The former Tragically Hip frontman, who died in 2017, will be recognized for his dedication to promoting reconciliation, encouraging Canadians to learn more about Indigenous history, and his commitments to the environment. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

Gord Downie to receive Allan Slaight humanitarian award

Gord Downie is the recipient of this year’s Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award.

The former Tragically Hip frontman, who died in 2017, will be recognized for his dedication to promoting reconciliation, encouraging Canadians to learn more about Indigenous history, and his commitments to the environment.

The award will be presented to members of the Downie family at the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards gala dinner, part of Canadian Music Week in Toronto, on May 9.

CMW president Neill Dixon said the honour will recognize the “compassion and determination” of Downie’s efforts, which included co-founding the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund in 2016.

Downie also served on the board of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, a charity that works to protect the Great Lakes, and he raised money alongside his Hip bandmates for local organizations in their Kingston, Ont. hometown.

Last year, Arcade Fire received the humanitarian award, while other past recipients include Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida, Rush, Bryan Adams and Bruce Cockburn.